laufebty



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

H. LAUPERTY. BRAIDING MACHINE.

o. 430,346. Patented June 17, 1890;

y/qv VENTOB By 53% WITNESSES.

A TTOR/VEYS.

(No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. LAUFERTY. BRAIDING MACHINE.

No. 430,346. Patented June 17, 1890.

IN VISA/70f? A TTORNEYS.

we mums wzYzns 00., Mum-Lima, \usmuarou, u. c.

WITNESSES '(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 H. LAUFERTY.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

No. 430,346. Patented June 17, 1890.

WITNESSES 1 ATENT OFFICE.

HENRY LAUFERTY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BRAlDlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 430,346, dated June 17, 1890.

Application filed October 16, 1889. Serial No. 327,194:- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LAUFERTY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Braiding-Machines, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

Theinvention relates to a machine for making flat braid.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved braid-making machine which permits of forming purled or raised edges in flat braided fabrics at the time of braiding the body of the fabric.

The invention consists in certain parts and details and in combinations of the same, as will be described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters and numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a braiding-machine provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, parts being omitted and parts being shown in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the improvement. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same with parts shown in section; and Fig. 5 is a view of the braidguide and a portion of fabric with the needles in position, the needles being shown in section. Fig. 6 is a detail view of a piece of the braid.

In machines formakin g fiat braid all the bobbin-carrying spindles in traveling around the race pass at the terminal circles around posts carrying inclined tapering needles, which converge toward the guide for the formed braid and wind theirthreads around the said needles, and these threads wound around the needles strip off when the spindles have traveled back about one-quarter around the race. By the improvements presently to be described I adapt a braiding-machine of the usual construction to produce a braid with raised or purled edges.

In the drawings the braid-making machine A, of any approved construction, is provided with the usual top or race plate 13, in which is formed the race 0, arranged in a double ric.

serpentine line of general circular form in the usual manner, in which travel the braiding carriers or spindles D, from which pass the threads E to plait the fabric F in the usual manner. In the middle of the terminal circles of the race 0 are held the upright posts G and G, respectively supporting at their ends the needles H and H, over which the threads E are caused to pass by the travel of the carriers around the terminal circles.

In accordance with my invention the needles H and H are made hollow or grooved, and through the hollow interior or along the groove of each needleis passed thread J or J, which unwinds from a spool J located under the machine. Each thread then passes upward from the spool J through a hollow fixed shaft I, on which turns the end gear 8 and notched carrierdisk 9, for propelling the carrierspindles D around the circular end or terminal circle of the race 0, such parts being actuated and operating in the usual manner. The thread J or J, after leaving the respective shaft I, passes through an opening G in the respective post G or G up to and over a roller K, held adjacent to the lower outer end of the respective needle H and H, and through the smooth interior or groove of the needle. The needles are preferably made tapering, as shown in the drawings, diminishing toward their inner ends, as is usual with the needles of flat-braiding machines, and the needles are inclined upward, as usual, converging toward the braidguide '7, as is plainly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The posts G and G, respectively, are secured on the upper ends of the shafts I, located in the center of the terminal circles of the race 0.

6 (5 are the usual vibrating combs or sweeps, operating upon the threads in the ordinary manner.

The operation is as follows: When the machine is set in motion, the threads E are interlaced with each other in the nsualmanner to form the braid F. When the carriers or spindles D pass around the end or terminal circles of the race 0, they travel around the posts G and G, so that each carrier or spindle winds its thread around the respective needle H or H to form the edges of the fab- IVhen each carrier or spindle has traveled around the end circle and back over about one-quarter of the race, the thread carried by this carrier or spindle is pulled off the upper small end of the needle, the threads in practice slipping off the ends of the needles in groups of two or more, the number varying with the distance between the ends of the needles and with the operation of the sweeps 6 6. As the threads slip 01f the nee- .dles, they fall upon the respective edge thread J or J, issuing from the small end of the respective needle H or H. The threads J and J become thereby bound by or interwoven with the braiding-threads at the edges of the fabric F, assuming the spiral form illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, and form raised or purled edges on the fabric. I have essayed to produce the raised or purled edge by causing the threads J and J to pass along the outside of needles, such as H and H, but have found that when working with the said threads thus disposed the threads E twist on the needles and also around the edge threads, binding the latter to the needles in such manner as to produce imperfect work, the edge threads J J lying irregularly along the braid and becoming at times more or less completely covered and concealed. This results from the fact that when a number of threads wrap around the needles and edge threads J and J they bind the latter to the needles and prevent the necessary free movement thereof. By making the needles hollow or grooved and passing the edge threads through them or along the grooves, so that the threads E come in contact with the edge threads J and J only at the point where the fabric is formed, binding cannot take place, however great the number of threads employed. The edge threads are caused to assume a spiral form by the overlapping of the braided threads, a certain number of overlapping braiding-threads lying between two turns of a spiral, and the appearance of the braid may be modified by varying the distance between the ends of the needles and the braid-guide. A single hollow needle and thread J passing through the same may be used to form a purled or raised edge on only one edge of the fabric.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the race-plate, the carriers and the braid-guide, of a tubular or grooved needle supported from the center of a terminal circle of the race-plate, extendin g at its tip into proximity to said guide, and adapted for the passage of an edge or purling thread through the same, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the race-plate, the carriers, and the braid-guide, of two tubular or grooved needles supported from the centers of the terminal circles of the raceplate, converging at their inner ends or tips in proximity to the braid-guide, and adapted for the passage of edge or purling threads, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the race-plate, the carriers, and the braid-guide, of a stationary tubular shaft at the center of a terminal race-circle, a post secured at its lower end on said shaft and having an opening at its lower end to receive an edge or purling thread from said shaft, a tubular or grooved needle mounted on the upper end of the post, with its tip in proximity to said guide, and a pulley on the post at the outer end of the needle and over which said thread passes to the needle, substantially as shown and described.

HENRY LAUFERTY.

Witnesses:

THEo. G. Hos'rER, C. SEDGWIQK. 

